What's the big secret with car repair estimate?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I went to the dealership garage this AM to get another estimate on fixing the suspension problem on my 2002 Honda Civic. I asked to have a written statement of their estimate. They made me pay $35 for labor just to look at it. Afterward the service advisor flashed a paper with some figures on it in front of me. I said that I wanted to get some other estimates when I saw how much it was going to cost. Then he shuffled other papers around on the desk. I handed him the check and he handed me a bunch of papers which I assumed contained the estimate. When I got home, the written estimate had disappeared. I sent an email and had an online chat with the dealership asking for them to email me the estimate. So far, no response.
 

I checked to see what my Chevrolet dealer charges, his standard diagnostic fee is $97.00.

I'm surprised that the actual estimate is not a computer printout that includes parts numbers, labor, etc...

It seems odd that a dealership would provide a handwritten estimate in this day and age, are you sure that the bunch of papers doesn't contain the estimate.

Good luck!
 
If I can help it, I NEVER take my car back to the dealership. I take it to the neighborhood, well known
and respected mechanic. He can be trusted because he needs your business.

Dealerships have a huge overhead and they'll try to squeeze every dime out of you to help pay for it.
 

Falcon said:
Dealerships have a huge overhead and they'll try to squeeze every dime out of you to help pay for it.
Click to expand...

Most auto dealerships make Most of their profits from their service departments. Occasionally, they might find someone silly enough to pay the sticker price for a new car...but that is rare. If a person shops for a part at a parts store, or online at RockAuto.com, then checks a dealer for that same part, the dealers price is double...or more. I'm with Falcon...in the Rare case I would ever take a car in for repairs, I would go to a local repair shop, first.
 
Long ago, in the early 70s I worked at two different car dealerships, one a Ford dealership, the other-Chevrolet. In both cases, I witnessed the inner workings of how dealerships operate; doing reasonably priced, quality work was NOT part of their business model.

A new car warranty does not require that the vehicle be serviced at a dealership, but many people are lead to believe such. A local repair shop typically can do virtually any repair, for less $$.
 
I agree with all the above. I've found that work at a dealership costs WAY more than what your outside repair shop would charge -- even things like oil changes are grossly overpriced.

Find a local repair shop and forget about that dealership! Check with friends and acquaintances or check on Angie's list.
 
Over here estimates are free, I have heard in the past
that some charged a nominal sum, but that would be
deducted from the final charge if they got the job.

Personally I would use a family business and not any
dealer, they charge way too much and this is the fault
of the manufacturer because they insist on machines
to test everything and special tools to do other things.

Some brands make it nearly impossible for the owner to
do anything, BMW have made it that you cannot change
the oil on your own car.

So it is the little man for me for repairs and servicing.

Mike.
 
The big problem is finding a local repair shop that is competent and will do right by you. A dealer is going to charge you more but they are more likely to be competent in what they do. Local repair shops can be all over the map in the "will do right by you" and that is the joker in the deck. If you have good one, great. If you don't, it can particularly problematic maintaining older cars because of their need for repairs. Most of us that don't do our own repairs are like "babes in the woods" when dealing with car problems/repairs.
 
Honda did email me the estimate, so here's the bottom line:
Honda's estimate (front end bushings & sway bars with alignment - $713.95 + tax
Local garage (for the same work) - $702.00 + tax

Not much different
 

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